09 July, 2026
Opportunities for Writers: July 2026
Our monthly list of submission windows, competitions, bursaries, residencies and general literary opportunities is now live. This list offers information on opportunities with April deadlines. For information on other upcoming opportunities, see our competitions and submissions and bursaries and funding pages.
Irish Writers Centre Opportunities
Cill Rialig Residencies 2026
Deadline: 24th July 2026
Seven writers will be awarded with a ten-day residency from 1-10 October 2026 in Cill Rialaig. Each writer will have their own house, provided free of charge (the Irish Writers Centre will cover the utility charge for each of the seven houses). Expenses incurred by the selected writers will be food and travel. To find out more about the residency and see the beautiful and inspiring location of Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry, view their website here. Selected writers are also asked to provide a written testimonial of their time spent at the residency.
More information here.
Irish Writers Centre Climate Writing Prize
Deadline: 23rd October 2026, 5pm
Each session of the Climate Writing series will end with hosts leaving a writing prompt for attending writers. Attendees can then enter the Climate Writing Prize with up to 1,500 words of fiction or up to 60 lines of poetry based on any of the five sessions prompts. The winning piece will be awarded €250 and publication in Channel, with a runner-up receiving a course bursary worth €250. The aim of the Prize is to encourage writers to develop their work beyond the sessions, and to explore the genre of climate writing.
More information here.
Opportunities
New Writers Poetry Competition 2026
Deadline: 15th July 2026
The New Writers Poetry Competition 2026 is open to poets from anywhere in the world and offers a prize pot of £1,400, with a top prize of £1,000 and four runners-up prizes of £100 each. The top five poets will win cash prizes and their poems will be published on the website and in the next issue of the New Writers Anthology.
Writer, poet, editor, celebrant, creative producer and teacher, JLM Morton will act as Head Judge for this competition.
More information here.
Lemonwood Quarterly Short Story and Playscript Submissions
Deadline: 18th July 2026
The Lemonwood Quarterly seeks the best English-language short stories and plays . They do not publish poetry, flash fiction, nonfiction prose, book reviews, or interviews. They are looking for superbly written stories and play pieces between 2,000 and 10,000 words.
$500 is awarded to the best playscript and piece of short fiction.
More information here.
Poetry Ireland Introductions/Ceadlínte Programme
Deadline: 22nd July 2026
Applications open from July 1st to July 22nd at midnight via Submittable.
Poetry Ireland is delighted to announce that poet Victoria Kennefick will select this year’s Introductions poets and Aifric Mac Aodha will select this year’s Céadlínte poets.
This bilingual programme offers poets in the early stages of their careers, who are writing in either the English or Irish language, an opportunity to showcase their work through workshops and performance. It also provides participants with the opportunity to have their work published through an e-book which Poetry Ireland /Éigse Éireann will produce and release.
The poets selected for Introductions / Céadlínte 2026 will participate in a variety of workshops focused on developing their form and craft, performing poetry in public.
More information here.
Anthology Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st July 2026
Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. Each submission will require a separate entry form and is subject to a separate entry fee.
FIRST: The winner of the Anthology Short Story will receive €1,000 and the winning story will be published in a future issue of Anthology.
SECOND: €250
THIRD: €150
More information here.
The International Dark Poets Prize
Deadline: 31st July, 2026
The International Dark Poets Prize, the flagship competition from Dark Poets Club, is now open for entries, inviting poets from around the world to submit work that explores the beauty, complexity and emotional depth found within darkness.
Dark Poets Club welcomes poetry that is gothic, surreal, macabre, melancholic, darkly humorous, emotionally raw, beautifully unsettling or quietly haunting. The competition is open to both emerging and established poets, with previously published work accepted.
Prizes
First Place: £1,000
Second Place: £500
Third Place: £300
Shortlisted poets and poets awarded Honourable Mentions will also be considered for publication on Dark Poets Club.
More information here.
Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition
Deadline: 31st July 2026
The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Translated work is not in the scope of this competition. Entrants may submit more than one entry. Once entered, no alterations can be made to the submission. Simultaneous submissions are accepted but please notify us immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere. First prize: €2,000, Featured reading at the Cork International Short Story Festival (with four-night hotel stay and full board), Publication in Southword
More information here.
Please get in touch with the team at info@irishwriterscentre.ie if your organisation/journal has a competition, submission, residency, bursary or funding opportunity for writers that you would like us to include in our monthly round-up blog post.
